Rising Damp Treatment

What Is Rising Damp?

The term ‘rising damp’ is used to describe the movement of water upwards through the building by capillary action from the ground. The water usually rises through fine cracks in the building. The rising damp then penetrates the internal surface, and there would often be a visible water mark rising up from the bottom of the wall. This moisture will then affect soluble salts from the building materials, and these can form visible deposits on the interior wall surface. A permanent rising damp treatment is required to resolve the problem.

How High Does It Rise?

The height to which rising damp goes up the wall depends on a number of factors including the type of wall finish and the extent of the ground dampness. It is usual for rising damp to rise about 1 – 1.5 metres – though deposits of salts may be found higher in the wall.

A rising damp treatment is often required in older buildings, as houses built over a hundred years ago were built without a damp proof course. When there is either no damp proof course or a damp course which is damaged, rising damp can rise from the ground and then penetrate the internal walls. A damp course is essentially a waterproof barrier built into the walls.

Newton Damp Proof Membranes are a quick, easy and permanent rising damp treatment.

• Newton Damp Proof Membranes can either be installed along with a damp proof course or as a stand alone rising damp treatment
• By providing a physical and permanent barrier against rising dampness and the associated hygroscopic salts there is no better way to protect your internal finishes from spoiling

Using Newton Damp Proof Membranes To Treat Rising Damp

Newton Newlath 2000, Newton 503, Newton 503 Mesh and Newtonite damp proof membranes are High Density Polyethylene and Polypropylene membranes which are moulded into a stud formation. The membranes are offered up to the surface of the structure and secured using purpose made fixings. This solution forms the ideal rising damp treatment as the damp proof membrane itself is completely impervious to dampness, moisture and moisture vapour, salts and other chemical contaminants. The studs of the damp proof membrane serve to hold the product slightly away from the surface affected by rising damp – forming an air gap behind the membrane in which moisture and vapour can move unhindered. This means that the status quo of the wall remains unchanged so that the rising dampness is not moved higher or to an adjacent area. In addition our membranes use positive vapour pressure to ‘push’ dampness out of the property. Internal vapour pressure is greater than external vapour pressure. The internal pressure moves out to the lower pressure externally to try to equalise. In doing so, any dampness in the air gap between the external wall and the membrane is moved out of the property also. Full details of our damp proofing products can be found here: Newton Damp Proofing Products

Once applied our damp proof membranes can be simply finished using direct plasters, dab fixed plasterboard or used behind dry lining frames.

For rising damp treatment, our damp proof membranes act as an impermeable and permanent separation barrier which is guaranteed to prolong the longevity of internal finishes.

Mr Mark Cutler from East Sussex says: “we live in a 200 year old house with solid brick and stone walls which have always suffered from rising dampness. We tried a number of different rising damp treatments – and had chemical damp proof courses installed on two separate occasions. Neither proved very successful with rising damp re-occurring both times. We had a Newton Damp Proof Membrane installed on the same walls a year ago and they have been plastered and decorated. No there is no sign of dampness on our walls. I would have no hesitation in recommending Newton Damp Proof Membranes as a rising damp treatment”

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Damp Walls Treatment